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Winners and losers after Manchester United sacked Ruben Amorim: Fresh start for Kobbie Mainoo, but Mason Mount and Amad Diallo could now lose their starting spots

In an interview on The Business podcast released on October 9, Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe had promised that Ruben Amorim would be given "three years to demonstrate he is a great coach", while also underlining the importance of patience as part of the club's "long-term plan". However, barely three months on, Amorim has been removed from Old Trafford in abrupt fashion, with United stating that they believe "it is the right time to make a change" in order to "give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish".

It is a stunning reversal, but not a surprising one. Results were disappointing across Amorim's 14-month spell in charge, and a run of only three wins in the last 11 Premier League matches piled major pressure on him, especially after valuable points were dropped from winning positions against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, West Ham, Bournemouth and bottom-placed Wolves.

Even so, Amorim might still have survived a little longer had he not publicly aired his frustration with the board before and after United's latest draw away to Leeds. The Portuguese coach hinted that he was not fully convinced by his heavily criticised 3-4-3 system and also pointed to a lack of financial support to bring in the players needed to make it function properly, ending with the angry statement: "In every department, the scouting department, the sporting director [Jason Wilcox] needs to do his job, and I will do mine for 18 months, and then we move on."

After seemingly being informed there would be no January additions, that response from Amorim was understandable, but it was also unwise and came without the backing of real authority. Although the former Sporting CP manager repaired the toxic dressing-room atmosphere that had spread under previous United bosses and introduced a more fluid style of play, he also moved away from several of the club's traditional principles, including prioritising academy talent, attacking with width and embracing risk.

Whatever signs of progress there were became irrelevant because of Amorim's puzzling decisions, especially during matches, and he leaves with the worst Premier League win percentage of any manager in United's history at 32 percent. Amorim is a charismatic and honest coach who expects the highest standards, but he proved too stubborn and too one-dimensional to succeed at the top level of English football.

Surely the only direction for the Red Devils now is upward, with the squad finally freed up. Some players will benefit straight away from Amorim's exit, either by returning to the starting XI or by moving back into positions that suit them better, with Under-18s coach Darren Fletcher stepping in to lead the first team on an interim basis until a permanent replacement is appointed. But Amorim also had clear favourites, and a few of those players are now facing uncertain prospects after losing their biggest supporter.

Here is a look at the biggest winners and losers from United's decision to sack Amorim...

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WINNER: Kobbie Mainoo

Kobbie Mainoo will have no fond memories of 2025. The Manchester United academy product started only eight Premier League matches, all of them in the second half of last season, and this term he had been reduced to a peripheral role under Amorim despite the team's ongoing inconsistency.

With Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes established as the first-choice holding midfield pair, Mainoo had to settle for brief substitute appearances, often only in the final 20 minutes, which gave him very little opportunity to influence games in any meaningful way. That sparked frustration among the United fanbase, including his brother, and also among England supporters eager to see Mainoo involved at next summer's World Cup, but Amorim would not give in to outside pressure.

"I've seen the training, if it's the best thing for the team, I will put [him in]," Amorim said in December. "I understand what you are saying. You love Kobbie, he starts for England. But that doesn't mean that I need to put Kobbie [in] when I feel that I shouldn't."

As a result, Mainoo had been strongly linked with a January loan move to Napoli, where his former team-mates Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund are thriving, but it would now be a huge shock if he left. The 20-year-old is likely to be handed a fresh start once the next manager arrives, and it is fair to assume the new coach will not be tied to a 3-4-3 system, meaning Mainoo should return to regular football as soon as he recovers from his calf injury.

It has been a real shame to watch Mainoo's progress stall given the scale of his talent, but a quick revival now looks likely because he will have a point to prove after outlasting Amorim.

LOSER: Mason Mount

Mason Mount was one of the few United players to show genuine improvement under Amorim after a miserable and injury-hit start to life at Old Trafford. The former Chelsea player regained full fitness towards the end of last season and has made 16 appearances for the Red Devils so far in 2025-26, contributing to four goals, with his best display coming in the 4-1 win away at Wolves on December 8.

Mount scored United's third goal in that match and deservedly collected the Player of the Match award for his work rate in the final third, with Amorim praising him heavily after the final whistle: "He can defend, he can attack, the quality when he touches the ball is really good, so it's not a surprise for me. It's a guy that leads by the example. It doesn't matter the situation, Mason Mount is always the same thing - training, talking, dealing with people around Carrington. That is not easy, so he's a very, very good player."

Amorim consistently maintained that Mount was ideally suited to his system, which featured two No.10 positions, but he had barely featured under previous manager Erik ten Hag, who preferred traditional wingers. The 26-year-old could now find himself back at square one in a more open system, with the main wide roles likely to be occupied by summer signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

Mount is versatile enough to play in a deeper midfield role, but that is not where he is at his best, and reports have suggested that area of the pitch will be strengthened in the summer. He still has plenty to offer as a squad player, but it is hard to imagine Mount reaching the same heights he managed at Chelsea again if he remains at Old Trafford.

WINNER: Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes has once again been Manchester United's best player this season, just as he was in each of his previous six seasons at the club. But what the captain has done over the past five months is especially impressive because he has been used out of position.

To fit Cunha and Mbeumo into the side, Amorim moved Fernandes into a No.6 role, and even from there he has produced a combined 12 goals and assists in 17 Premier League appearances, more than any other United player in 2025-26. Despite operating in front of the back line, the Portugal international has the third-highest expected assists total in the division at 4.1, and he ranks first for key passes with 51, which is 15 more than his nearest rivals Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka.

Fernandes is also among the top 10 players in the league for ball recoveries, which underlines how much defensive work he has taken on in his new role. It has been an almost superhuman effort, and that helps explain why he suffered a rare hamstring injury against Aston Villa that has ruled him out of United's last three matches.

But it never made much sense for United's main creative force to carry such a heavy burden at both ends of the pitch. Fernandes is, and always has been, a natural No.10 who is most dangerous when he is closer to goal. That is where he should return in the post-Amorim era, and United will be far better off for it.

LOSER: Amad Diallo

Amorim also asked Amad Diallo to adjust to an unnatural position at right wing-back, and like Fernandes, he handled it admirably. The Ivory Coast international has contributed to five Premier League goals this season and built a dangerous understanding with Mbeumo, regularly exchanging positions with the former Brentford man to get in behind opposition defences.

Amad has also worked hard without the ball, but there are limits to how much that can compensate for his attacking instincts and slight build. The 23-year-old has often been caught too far up the pitch when possession has been lost, and United have conceded plenty of goals at the far post because he lacks the strength and height to deal with crosses consistently.

At least he was getting minutes. That may no longer be true if Amorim's confusing tactical set-up is scrapped in favour of a system with a back four. A return to the 4-2-3-1 shape favoured by Ten Hag appears the most obvious route, and that would likely see Benjamin Sesko, Fernandes, Cunha and Mbeumo form United's front four, with Casemiro and Mainoo operating in the double pivot.

Amad will be hoping the new coaching staff opt instead for a 4-3-3, which could allow him to play behind Mbeumo again. But even then, a midfield three built from Fernandes, Casemiro, Mainoo, Mount and Manuel Ugarte would probably give United better balance, and improving the clean-sheet record has to be a priority after the team managed only two in their last 20 Premier League matches.

It is a harsh situation for Amad, who has been right up there with Fernandes as one of United's most dependable performers in recent years, but when he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations, he may find only a place on the bench waiting for him.

WINNGER: Dan Ashworth

Ratcliffe and the INEOS group deserve all the criticism they receive after Amorim's chaotic reign. The Portuguese coach was the first managerial appointment of the new United hierarchy after the Glazer family handed them control of football operations, and once they finally decided to sack Ten Hag in October 2024, they appeared to develop tunnel vision, despite reports that Liverpool and West Ham had both passed on Amorim because of concerns over how he would adapt to the Premier League.

Dan Ashworth had his own reservations too. United brought Ashworth in that July after a lengthy period of gardening leave at Newcastle, with Ratcliffe calling him "one of the best sporting directors in the world", but he departed after only five months, and the issue of the head coach was one of the main factors behind that exit.

According to The Athletic, Ashworth suggested Eddie Howe, Marco Silva, Thomas Frank and Graham Potter as possible replacements for Ten Hag, but Ratcliffe encouraged him to move beyond familiar names and wanted a more 'dynamic' appointment. United chief executive Omar Berrada pushed for Amorim, and Ratcliffe quickly took a liking to the former Benfica midfielder during their initial meetings before eventually approving his appointment.

That happened even though Ashworth had questioned whether Amorim's inflexible 3-4-3 system would suit the club's long-term recruitment strategy, as reported by The Guardian. He understood that United did not have the right players for that set-up and also lacked the financial resources to rebuild the squad overnight because of rising debt.

Ratcliffe, backed by Berrada, Wilcox, who was technical director at the time, and INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford, overruled Ashworth, and he was eventually pushed out because he was not aligned with the rest of the senior leadership. Had Ratcliffe listened to the former Newcastle expert, United might not be in their current mess.

LOSER: Harry Maguire

If United do move to a system with four defenders, it could effectively signal the end for Harry Maguire. The England international is capable of playing as either a right-sided or left-sided centre-back, but at 32, his peak years are behind him and repeated injuries are beginning to have a clear impact.

Maguire has been sidelined since early November with a thigh problem and faces a difficult battle to reclaim his place once he is fit again. Lisandro Martinez has returned seamlessly from his own long-term injury and is now the strongest option on the left side of central defence, not least because he already has a good understanding with experienced full-back Luke Shaw.

For now, one of the two emerging youngsters, Ayden Heaven or Leny Yoro, is likely to get the nod on the right, with Matthijs de Ligt currently out because of a back issue and Noussair Mazraoui away with Morocco in the latter stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. But once everyone is available, De Ligt should be the one partnering Martinez.

De Ligt, who turned 26 only in August, looked in the early weeks of the season as though he had rediscovered the level he showed at Ajax, with United legend Nemanja Matic recently telling CBS Sports that he is the best defender at the club. The former Bayern Munich and Juventus player is only now moving into his prime years and should be a key figure at Old Trafford for some time, provided injuries do not continue to trouble him.

The same cannot be said for Maguire. It has been admirable to see him answer his critics over recent seasons and become something of a cult figure among supporters, adding a long list of important and often dramatic goals to his record. But the former Leicester City defender no longer has the mobility to play every week in the middle of the United defence. His contract expires next summer and it would be a major surprise if he were offered another extension, not because he has suddenly become a poor player, but because his time at the club appears to be nearing its natural conclusion.